The campaign, which is called We Are Jamaicans was launched today to raise awareness among Jamaicans about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) identity and community, human rights, stigma and discrimination. We Are Jamaicans is a participatory video campaign hosted on YouTube athttps://www.youtube.com/user/EqualityJA. It features prominent Jamaicans such as Susan and Alexis Goffe and Javed Jaghai.

According to Lewis, “the campaign was developed following recommendations from consultations with LGBT persons, activists and allies to show the experiences of Jamaica’s LGBT community in a more diverse way.”

There is an urgent need to interrupt prevailing discourse on LGBT realities in Jamaica. Opportunities must be created for Jamaicans to see and hear about the experiences of LGBT people so they can understand what it means to be LGBT.

“Regrettably, the diversity and the complexity of Jamaica’s LGBT community is masked by media and advocacy narratives that too often focus on sex, victimhood, crime and HIV. These themes are not identity-affirming and they sometimes further entrench the marginal position of LGBT people in the society,” Lewis said.

Javed Jaghai, an openly gay Jamaican, says that ignorance helps to fuel homophobia and the campaign will be critical for increasing understanding among the Jamaican public about gender and sexuality variance. “By diversifying the stories told about LGBT lives, the complexity of LGBT identities will be made apparent and it will be easier to evoke empathy and secure general support for tolerance,” he highlighted.

The Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition (CVC) through its Global Fund Vulnerablised Project funds the campaign. It is expected to lead to greater understanding and help change minds and hearts about Jamaica’s LGBT community. Gay, lesbian and straight Jamaicans are encouraged to use creative ways of sharing their experiences with LGBT issues and join the campaign whether they wish to show their face or not.

You want bravery and admirable activism well here it is. Javed Jaghai speaking about what it is to be gay in Jamaica. Guaranteed none of the people who go about hating and bashing in Jamaica would have even a tiny percentage of his courage. Now if only I could send the seemingly clueless interviewer that there is a word ‘gay’ and that ‘the homosexual” is only showing she hasn’t attempted to expand her reading horizons much. Maybe I will send her GLAAD guide for Xmas.

Just discovered this on Vimeo. It is beautifully filmed and the cinematography captures the essence of dread and claustrophobia that is summed up when one character comes up to the protagonist ( though perhaps there is no single protagonist) and says “I know your secret”.

An adolescent boy, who serves the Austrian Military Forces, experiences homosexual feelings towards one of his comrades. It’s their last night at the Austrian-Hungarian border, socially isolated and armed with loaded weapons.

The wonderful Desmond Tutu makes a remarkable speech in tribute to the audience as he prepares to receive the ILGHRC Outspoken Award in 2008. Not sure if I posted this before but it is well worth watching again. His tribute begins at 2:35.

As many of you might know I live and work in Trinidad & Tobago which is a strange mishmash of Victorian laws and modernity. Ignoring the Sexual Offenses Act which might be problematic for me were I not given only 3 months in the country on my last entry :

13. (1) Aperson who commits buggery is guilty of an offence
and is liable on conviction to imprisonment—
(a) if committed by an adult on a minor, for life;
(b) if committed by an adult on another adult, for
twenty-five years;
(c) if committed by a minor, for five years.
(2) In this section “buggery” means sexual intercourse
per anum by a male person with a male person or by a male person
with a female person

…
(2) Subsection (1) does not apply to an act of serious
indecency committed in private between—
(a) a husband and his wife; or
(b) a male person and a female person each of whom
is sixteen years of age or more, both of whom
consent to the commission of the act.
(3) An act of “serious indecency” is an act, other than
sexual intercourse (whether natural or unnatural), by a person
involving the use of the genital organ for the purpose of arousing
or gratifying sexual desire.

Nope, no sexism, homophobia or overt discrimination there. Actually, given my life of late it probably wouldn’t affect me but still.

What else is said you ask? Let me check… Oh wait there are laws that were introduced to placate religious groups. Like India …Oh wait…India is secular…what has T&T done?

There is a Muslim marriage act. That allows…wait..what? A 12 year old girl to be married? Seriously?

Yup:

8. The age at which a person, being a member of the Muslim
community, is capable of contracting marriage shall be sixteen in
the case of males and twelve in the case of females
However, in the case of an intended marriage between persons
either of whom is under eighteen years of age (not being a widower
or widow), the consent to the marriage, of the father if living or if
the father is dead of the guardian or guardians lawfully appointed
or of one of them, and in case there is no such guardian then of the
mother of the person so under age, and if the mother is dead then
of such other person as may be appointed for the purpose by the
President,shall be certified in writing by the marriage officer before
whom the marriage is contracted upon the certificate ofthe marriage
to be issued in accordance with the provisions of this Act.

Hindus fought for another offensive marriage age. Not quite as awful but still impressively pervy and sexist .

11. (1) The age at which a person, being a member of the
Hindu faith or religion, is capable of contracting marriage shall be
eighteen years in the case of males and fourteen years in the case
of females.
(2) Without prejudice to the provisions of subsection (1),
a marriage shall not be solemnised by a Marriage Officer if the
intended husband (not being a widower), is under eighteen years
of age or the intended wife (not being a widow) is under sixteen
years of age unless the consent to the marriage of the party who is
under age by virtue of thissubsection has been given in accordance
with the following provisions of this section, and the consent is
hereby required for the marriage of such party under age.
(3) The required consent may be given by the father of
the party under age, and if the father is dead by the guardian or
guardians appointed or one of them, and in case there is no such
guardian then by the mother of the party so under age, and if the
mother is dead then by such other person as may be appointed for
the purpose by the President.
(4) In case the father, mother, or a guardian whose consent
to a marriage is required under subsection (3) is absent from
Trinidad and Tobago or is unable or refuses to give the consent or
is not of sound mind, the party in whose case consent is required
may apply to the President to appoint a person, being a member of
the Hindu community, to investigate the circumstances of the
intended marriage and if after the investigation it appears to the
person so appointed that there are no reasonable objections to the
intended marriage such person shall so formally declare in writing
and the declaration shall, for the purposes of this Act, be deemed
equivalent to the consent as aforesaid.

Yes, T&T can’t deal with LGBT rights but it is so on the ball for child marriage rights.

Just discovered this beautifully done video. The creator was inspired by the sad story of Tyler Clementi and posted the video two months ago. Never too late to share though. My inspiration and Eric Cooper’s was the amazing Seth Walsh. We both agreed he was us.

When Tyler Clementi took his life (a student whose life eerily paralleled mine in so many ways), I decided enough was enough. I’ve felt a powerful kinship with him that I can’t even explain – and it stirred my soul to act. Something had to be done – I realized I had to find a way to speak up with my own unique voice to express what I felt in my heart.

When I first heard Sugarland’s song, “Stand Up,” I was moved to tears. I heard it right in the middle of the string of teen suicides last year just after we lost Tyler. After the very first listen to their song, I saw a very clear vision in my head…it was an anti-bullying video that matched the absolutely beautiful lyrics and music of Sugarland’s evocative and powerful song.

So, I present to you my way of speaking up and I hope that I will inspire you to do the same. I want you to help me raise awareness, and open up hearts and minds that may be closed due to fear, ignorance, or shame. I want you to help me fill mournful hearts with hope and love and inspire others to do the same. I want you to help me keep the promise I made to Tyler…. These teen suicides, these “bullycides,” must stop once and for all, and it starts with US.

So, I need YOUR HELP. Help start OUR movement. Help spread OUR message of love, hope, and change. It’s already begun… people are reposting this on their Facebook pages… and then others are sharing and reposting it! Some are sharing the link through personal email or twitter!! Join US in helping to raise awareness and make a difference in any way we can! Be a part of OUR MOVEMENT to stop anti-gay bullying! WE HAVE THE POWER TO AFFECT CHANGE!!!

If you’re reluctant to share our video, I leave you with one thought: JUST ONE person might have their eyes, ears, and heart opened for the first time. JUST ONE person may begin to think a little bit differently for the very first time in their life. That ONE person may have a gay sibling, child, friend, or relative… And that ONE person, may think differently about the gay youth in their lives. Think about the change that happens in society when people begin to simply THINK differently. Thinking differently IS CHANGE. Remember that YOU have that power. YOU can make a difference in somebody’s life. YOU can keep spreading our message of love, hope, and change. WON’T YOU STAND UP WITH US AND USE YOUR VOICE?

I really like the usually subversive Sean Chapin’s newest music video – a take on “Sexy And I Know It” by LMFAO. After seeing ‘8: The Mormon Proposition’ I understand how upset a lot of Californians must be. They really need a scenario like here in Canada where the Supreme Court determines that marriage disparity is unconstitutional and then all the states would fall like dominoes. It is inevitable, so the forces against all people having equal rights to love and marry who they choose will lose no matter how much they fight to forestall it. Heteronormativity is the new racism.

When I walk down the aisle, this is what I see – everybody stops and they staring at me. I got rainbows on my ring and I ain’t afraid to show it… (this is a gay marriage thang).

Parody of “Sexy And I Know It” by LMFAO about marriage equality for gay and straight couples.